Apple is asking a federal judge in Texas to throw out a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s companies, arguing that the claims are built on “speculation on top of speculation” rather than any evidence of wrongdoing.
The case stems from Apple’s decision to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into iOS, which Musk’s xAI and social media platform X (formerly Twitter) claim unfairly stifled competition in the artificial intelligence market. The lawsuit, filed in August, seeks billions of dollars in damages and accuses Apple of limiting consumer choice by excluding xAI’s chatbot Grok from key features such as Siri and the App Store’s “Must Have” section.
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Apple Defends Its AI Strategy
In its motion (via bloomberg) filed Tuesday in the Northern District of Texas, Apple argued that its choice to work with OpenAI first was a business decision, not an antitrust violation. The company said it is “widely known” that it plans to integrate other AI chatbots into its ecosystem in the future, directly challenging Musk’s claim that Apple created an unfair monopoly.
Apple’s lawyers said the lawsuit assumes that choosing one AI partner means the company must “simultaneously partner with every other generative AI chatbot — regardless of quality, privacy, safety, technical feasibility, or commercial terms.” They argued that antitrust laws do not impose such requirements on companies making strategic decisions.
Industry Implications
Reports have suggested Apple is already in talks to integrate additional AI models, including Google’s Gemini, into future versions of Siri. Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed earlier this year that discussions with Apple were underway, signaling a broader approach to AI integration than Musk alleges.
The case, filed as X Corp. v. Apple Inc., 25-cv-00914 in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, remains ongoing. If the court sides with Apple, it could set a significant precedent for how companies choose AI partners without running afoul of antitrust laws.
A representative for xAI did not respond to requests for comment.
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